LOOP COMMUNITY
TIPS FOR SONGWRITING W / CODY CARNES | Matt McCoy
Do you write your own songs for worship ? Do you want to start ? Cody Carnes sat down with Loop Community Founder Matt McCoy to talk about his journey , his new album and tips for songwriters .
TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF [ Matt ] If you could go back and give a younger version of yourself advice , or a worship leader that ’ s just starting out , what would you say ?
[ Cody ] Take the pressure off . I think so many times we get so caught up in everything has to be perfect and has to sound a certain way . I tell myself this too . You don ’ t have to sound like someone else , take the pressure off . There ’ s something so beautiful in the very human offering of worship to God that is imperfect and focusing on the community of believers that you are leading . You ’ re there to minister to the Lord and serve people , and that ’ s it . Make sure you ’ re leading them well in a way that they connect to God . Take the pressure off and have fun .
Now as worship leaders we have so much access to other people ’ s ministries , not just from their music but their Instagram and details of what everyone is doing . It can be so easy to get caught up in comparison . God created you for the community that you are in . You really must zone in with the Holy Spirit and think ‘ Who am I ? What am I created to do ? Who is the community I am leading ?
[ Matt ] How do you go into a songwriting session without feeling the pressure of writing another huge song ?
[ Cody ] I have an understanding that the songs I have been a part of writing , I could tell you a story about each of them and how they were written . The consistent thing is it felt like God just gave them in the room , it felt like they were gifts . It ’ s not my own strength and it ’ s not that I ’ m an amazing songwriter . I ’ ve worked hard to get as good as I can at it because I want to be able to communicate an idea and if I get a burden from the Holy Spirit to write a song , I want to be able to communicate it . But really , the “ magic ” comes from God being in the room . Every single one of them we were having an encounter with God while we were writing them .
The pressure can come off in that way because
I ’ ve written a lot of bad songs and still write a lot of bad songs , not every day is one of those days , and I ’ m okay with that . That ’ s part of the process . One thing I have learned about those “ off days ” is you learn something every time you sit down to write a song . That could be as simple as a melody and how it worked over a chord , and it will come out in another song . It ’ s being diligent and just sit down and do it . I try to write with people I really love . Friends that I know are pursuing God and excited to write songs for the church . When we sit down to write songs , we ’ re chasing the glory of God together . It ’ s not just about sitting down and writing songs ; it ’ s about sitting down and having an encounter with Jesus .